Hair coloring kit and methods of use and doing business

ABSTRACT

A hair color retouch kit, components of the kit, and methods of use and doing business. The kit can include one or more mixing containers. In one embodiment, a mixing container provides a colorant compartment for sealingly or separately containing a custom hair coloring formulation and peroxide compartment for sealingly or separately containing peroxide. The mixing container(s) can be used by a professional hair colorist to provide a hair coloring client with custom hair coloring formulation and peroxide that can be mixed and applied by or for the client to hair regrowth that occurs after a hair coloring session with the professional. The kit can provide other components as desired, such as a mixing spatula, an applicator brush, and instructions for example. The kit can be packaged in attractive and efficient packaging, include indicia identifying the source of the kit, and be customized to promote the colorist, salon, or other entity.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of, and incorporates by reference,applicant's prior U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16/365,511, entitled“Hair Coloring Kit And Methods Of Use And Doing Business,” filed Mar.26, 2019, which is a continuation of, and incorporates by reference,applicant's prior US patent application, Ser. No. 15/788,656, entitled“Hair Coloring Kit And Methods Of Use And Doing Business,” filed Oct.19, 2017, which claims priority through, and incorporates by reference,the applicant's prior provisional patent applications, Ser. No.62/410,063, entitled “Custom Color Retouch Kit And Method,” filed Oct.19, 2016, and Ser. No. 62/550,185, entitled Custom Color Retouch Kit andMethod,” filed Aug. 25, 2017. It is to be understood, however, that inthe event of any inconsistency between this specification and anyinformation incorporated by reference in this specification, thisspecification shall govern.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

This specification contains material subject to copyright protection.The copyright owner has no objection to the photocopy reproduction ofthe specification and patent documents in exactly the form they appearin the Patent and Trademark Office patent file or records, but otherwisereserves all copyrights.

FIELD

The present specification generally relates to the field hair colorretouching and more particularly to one or more of a kit, or one or morecomponents of a kit, for hair coloring, and methods of use and doingbusiness to provide hair color retouching or one or more retouchingcomponents.

SOME ASPECTS OF THE BACKGROUND

Hair coloring has long been a very large industry for a very long time.Today, it is an enormous industry in the U.S. alone.

For example, a First Research report states that, in 2014, there were82,000 hair salons in the U.S. alone, in addition to 4,000 barber shops.A 2008 Clairol Survey reported that 75% of women in the U.S. between 18and 65 years of age color their hair, and that 88% of women feel thattheir hair has an effect on their confidence. Multi-Sponsor Surveysreported in 2012 that 11% of men aged 50-64 color their hair.

A 2005 P&G Beauty Study done by Dr. Frauke Neuser showed that, of thewomen who color their hair, 52% do so at home only and 48% do so at aSalon (28% at a salon only and 20% at a salon and at home). In 2015,Modern Salon Media conducted a Process Haircolor Research Study, whichfound that the number one1 reason all women surveyed—home colorconsumers and salon clients combined—say they color their hair is tocolor gray and look younger (46%). For women 35 and older, gray coveragebecomes even more important, at 65%. This same study found that 48% ofsalon color clients say they visit a salon every six weeks or more oftenfor services, and 52% visit less frequently and that the overall averageinterval between salon visits is 7.5 weeks. This same survey found thatmost salon professionals (64%) say they recommend a “root cover-up”between color appointments, provided either professionally or by use ofoff-the-shelf coloring products, but 74% of color clients say they haveeither never had a root cover-up or are unsure if they have ever hadone.

Since human hair generally grows at the rate of ½ inch per month, theenormous number of people who have hair coloring done professionally areexperiencing substantial regrowth of uncolored hair between coloringservices. For most people, the mismatch regrowth is quite visible in thefront hairline and hair part within 2 to 3 weeks after a hair colortreatment.

How Hair Coloring Works:

The visible part of the hair that is protruding from the skin is calledthe shaft. The structure of hair shaft is made up the three layers. Theouter layer is called the cuticle and consists of overlapping dead cells(like roof shingles) which protect the inner layers. When the cells lieflat the hair reflects light, and looks shiny. When the cells of thecuticle layer are open, the hair feels rough, dry, and looks dull.

The next layer is called the cortex. This is the layer that containspigment, called melanin, that gives hair it's color.

The innermost layer is called the medulla. This layer is not involved inthe color process.

There are three main compounds present in hair dye: ammonia; hydrogenperoxide, and dye intermediates and couplers. Hair typically has a pHlevel of 5. Ammonia, which is alkaline, is used to initiate the colorprocess by swelling the hair shaft and opening up the cuticle layer.

Hydrogen peroxide is an acid that causes oxidation. The oxidationdecolorizes (lightens) natural melanin pigment in the hair cortex andreacts with the color molecules of the chosen permanent hair colorpigment to form dye molecules that cannot be washed out.

Hydrogen peroxide is added to hair dye in different concentrations.These concentrations are measured by how many volumes of oxygen areliberated from the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide, meaning that10 volume peroxide will form 10 volumes of oxygen from a single volumedeveloper. The higher the concentration of developer, the more oxidationthat will occur in a client's hair.

Hydrogen peroxide thus initiates the color process and creates longerlasting color. The larger the volume of peroxide, however, the greaterthe amount of sulfur is removed from the hair. Loss of sulfur causeshair to harden and lose weight. This is why for most hair coloringservices, the peroxide level is maintained at 30 volume or less.

The dye or coloring intermediates and couplers are small compounds thatfit into the opened cuticle of the hair shaft. Once they mix withhydrogen peroxide, they become larger color molecules that cannot departthe hair shaft.

How Professional Permanent Hair Color is Used:

The professional hair colorist begins by examining the clients hairtexture, dryness, natural hair color, and amount of gray hair, which iscoloring resistant. From those factors the colorist determines theformulation of various pigments (dye) and enhancers to be used toachieve the desired result. Next, the colorist determines the volume ofperoxide required according to the various factors. Then the coloristblends the pigment formulation with the peroxide formula. When themixture is completely blended, it is applied to the client's hair.

The chemical process of pigment (color) becoming permanent in the hairshaft usually requires between 20-30 minutes to complete. The colorformulation remains on the clients hair for that period of time in orderto fully develop (replace color in the client's hair). After theprescribed period of time for development, the color molecules of thepermanent hair color have expanded and are permanently fixed into thehair shaft. The hair is then shampooed, rinsed, and styled.

Because the peroxide component (H₂O₂, more fully referred to as“hydrogen peroxide”) is an acid, it is typically pre-mixed with water todilute the peroxide in the resulting peroxide/water mixture.Nevertheless, even with this lower concentration of peroxide, if theresulting hair color formulation of colorant, water, and peroxide makescontact with human skin or hair for too long or with an excessiveconcentration of peroxide, the peroxide in the formulation canexcessively oxidize, excessively dry, and damage the skin or hair or atleast leave it with a dull finish or lack of shine. This is one reasonwhy the professional colorist usually applies the colorant formulationwith plastic gloves, to protect the colorist's skin from contact withthe peroxide component of the formulation. This is also why theprofessional colorist makes adjustments to the colorant formulationapplied to a given client in repeat coloration sessions over time, toensure that the client's hair remains in a healthy condition. Theserisks are reasons that hair coloring is so commonly performed by aprofessional hair colorist.

Another reason is that, as noted above, the colorant component istypically customized by the professional colorist, by mixing one or morecolor components (usually at least two to three pigments or dyes), oftenwith one or more other enhancers, to yield the color shade desired inthe resulting colorant formulation. The professional hair coloristtypically has in-depth knowledge of differing brands of hair coloringcomponents and their differing qualities; and this knowledge plays acrucial role in adjusting the shades and strength of colors fordiffering clients, including by taking into account each client's hairtexture, dryness, hair density, and natural color, including the amountof gray hair. After sufficient processing time in the client's hair,which can vary by client, the colorist rinses the client's hair toremove remaining colorant formulation not absorbed the hair. For allthese reasons and others, such as convenience and combining the haircoloring process with procuring a haircut, clients seeking hair coloringcommonly have the hair coloring formulation prepared and applied byprofessional hair colorists rather than by the clients on their own.

The Age-Old Problem of Hair Regrowth After Hair Coloring:

Within one to two weeks after hair is colored by professional colorists,clients typically experience visible naturally-colored hair regrowth,particularly around their front hairlines and at any parting lineswithin their hair. Since most hair color clients do not have the time ormoney to have their hair color professionally retouched every one to twoweeks, their only options are to either maintain the visible regrowth,or to try and match the professional color with a hair coloring productacquired at a store or from an online commercial source.

The latter nonprofessional hair color products are, however, vastlyinferior to professional hair coloring. One reasons is becauseover-the-counter products, designed as one size fits all, typicallyinclude an excessive concentration of peroxide—sometimes close to 40volume in order to ensure maximum coloring of resistant gray hair—ascompared to the much lower concentration that would be utilized byprofessional colorists for most clients.

In addition, since, as noted above, the professional colorist typicallymixes different colors and possibly enhancer—often multiple differentenhancers as well—to achieve a desired hair color shade for the client'sparticular type of hair and natural color, the client usually does nothave the knowledge or formulation components to achieve anything closeto the professional's hair color shade in the client's hair. The resultsof a non-professional use of off-the-shelf hair coloring productscommonly are bands of colors that do not match, do not last and oreasily washed out by shampooing, can cause the scalp to itch, and/or donot provide the desired resulting hair color, particularly in grey hair.

With regard to grey hair in particular, many off the shelf retouchingproducts contain little or no peroxide. With little or no peroxide inthe hair coloring formulation, grey hair cuticle in particular does notopen and therefore does not become colored.

For these and other reasons, it is also common for clients who use homecoloring products or kits to at least eventually experience anundesirable result in hair color and hair damage. When this occurs togiven client, the client's choices are to either live with the problemuntil the client's hair grows out, or have the problem corrected by aprofessional colorist. The corrective process is typically much longerand more expensive that normal professional coloring services, and theprocess usually yields yet further dryness and hair breakage.

So, while home-hair color products have long been widely available andthemselves a substantial part of the huge hair coloring industry, theyhave long provided results that are inferior to the typically much moreaesthetically attractive results of professional hair coloring,including when used to re-touch hair color between professional coloringsessions. At the same time, professional colorists have typicallyconstantly sought additional ways to enhance their product and serviceofferings and increase resulting profitability as well. This has beenthe state of the hair coloring industry for well over 40 years.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF SOME ASPECTS OF THE SPECIFICATION

The applicant has developed a hair coloring kit and method of use anddoing business. In some embodiments, the kit provides pre-mixed colorant(such as multiple differing hair coloring colors and, optionally, one ormore hair coloring enhancers), and optionally peroxide, to or for anindividual, with the colorant custom pre-mixed to match or complimentother hair colorant applied to the individual. The individual or otherperson can then mix the pre-mixed colorant with the optional or otherperoxide for application of the resulting colorant formulation to hairon the individual.

In some methods, the pre-mixed colorant is pre-mixed by or for aprofessional hair colorist, and some methods include the pre-mixedcolorant being provided by or for the professional hair colorist to orfor a client of the professional hair colorist. Some methods includegeneration of the pre-mixed colorant during or in connection with a haircoloring session for the client. In some instances, the pre-mixedcolorant is a portion of colorant also generated and applied to theclient during a professional hair coloring session.

The kit and method can further be used to solve the age-old problem ofmaintaining the color of hair, such as regrowth for example, after ahair coloring session, such as a professional hair coloring session forexample. Consequently, some instances can include the kit being used byor for the client to color the client's hair after the hair coloringsession, which may take place, in some embodiments, up to weeks, months,or more after the hair coloring session.

The kit can include, in addition to pre-mixed colorant and/or peroxide,a mixing container, a mixing tool, an applicator brush, instructions foruse, one or more other possible components such as a mirror, which maybe lighted, and packaging for the kit. The packaging or one or moreother components may have indicia of varying types, and in someembodiments some or all the indicia may be customized for the haircolorist professional, a salon, or provider of the kit. In some kits,the packaging or other one or more other components can include outertrademark indicia and may also include indicia otherwise customized,such as by printing or marking on the actual packaging or by label(s)applied to the packaging.

Packaging for some kits can have an attractive shape, such as atriangular outer shape for example. Some instances can provide arelatively small, lightweight, or easily displayed package.

One particular type of packaging can be have a plurality of triangularsides and be small, lightweight, and easily displayed on either a shelfor by being hung on a mounting rod or other mounting element. Thepackaging may include a mounting rod channel passing through thepackaging—for example, through a narrower end of the packaging ascompared to an opposed thicker end.

Some kits may include a single container providing separate chambers orcompartments for storage of colorant separately from other material suchas peroxide for example. The colorant may then be mixed with the othermaterial by opening the container, removing one or more sealingstructures, and mixing the colorant with the other material.

Some instances of the container can include a first portion and a secondportion, and the first portion and second portion may be removablymountable to each other such as by mating threads for example. The firstportion may have a first removable seal, such as on the one outer sideof the first portion, and may have a second or other seal mountablespaced from the upper removable seal. The second portion may include asecond section sealing element as well.

The packaging and container may be sized so that separate containercompartments can be secured within the container so that, when thepackaging is opened, the separate compartments can be filled withdiffering hair coloring materials, removed from the packaging andmounted together to provide the container and mixing of the differinghair coloring materials within the container, and then remounted withinthe packaging along with any other kit components. In some embodiments,the packaging may have a plurality of triangular sides providing arelatively thickened end opposite a pointed end, and the mixingcontainer can be mounted in the thickened end of the packaging fordelivery to or for a hair coloring client.

Some methods of mixing container use may include placing hair colorantin the first or second portion of the container and peroxide or othermaterial in the other portion of the container. Some such methods mayinclude then inserting second or other removable seal in the firstportion of the container and the second section removable seal in thesecond portion of the container. The first and second portions may thenbe mounted to provide a container containing the colorant and peroxideor other material, with at least one removable seal separating thecolorant from the peroxide or other material within the container.

The colorant and peroxide or other material may then be mixed byseparating the first section of the container from the second section,removing at least one or more removable seal, remounting the first andsecond sections to provide a container and mixing of the colorant,peroxide, or other material within the container.

Some embodiments of the container provide the first section of thecontainer having both the first removable seal and second removable sealspaced from the first removable seal and optionally a second sectionremovable seal within the second section. The differing components areplaced in the differing container sections so that they are maintainedseparately from each other by the removable seals. The components maythen be mixed by separating the container sections, removing one or moreseals, remounting the container sections, removing an outer seal toprovide an open side, such as an upper side for example, in thecontainer and mixing the components such as with a mixing toolpenetrating the open side.

In some embodiments, one or more of the hair colorant or other coloringprocess material may be in a gel within the container. The gel may besufficiently thick and self-adhering that the gel remains in placewithin the container even after associated sealing structure is removed.In some such embodiments, the container section containing the gel cantherefore be separated from another container section to remove theassociated sealing structure and then remount gel containing sectionover the other container section without the gel spilling out of the gelcontaining section. Some instances can include an upper removable sealthat is then removable in order to mix the components within thecontainer such as with a mixing tool.

In some embodiments, the mixed coloring components in the container canthus provide colorant that can be applied to hair. The hair may be thatof professional colorist client in order to maintain the desired coloron the client after receiving professional hair coloring by or for theprofessional colorist.

Some instances of the method can thus provide a promotional or revenuesource, such as for a salon, a professional hair treatment center orcolorist, or other business or activity. The kit can be sold forexample. It may also provide a marketing or promotion vehicle throughinclusion of indicia on one or more of the kit packaging and components.

It is to be understood that, while the foregoing discussion has beendominantly in the context of human hair coloring, the hair involved maybe animal or plant hair or any other regrowth of any type. Further, thekit components may be mixed and matched as desired and may be used inapplications and with components other than those identified in thisSummary section.

It is also to be understood that there are other novel aspects of thisspecification. They will become apparent as this specification proceeds.In this regard, the scope of the invention is to be determined by theclaims as issued and not by reason of whether a given feature or featureset is included in this Brief Summary or addresses an issue in theBackground section of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The applicant's preferred and other embodiments are shown in theaccompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a hair coloring kit of thisspecification;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of another hair coloring kit of thisspecification opened and showing contents of the kit and having a rightangled corner in opposed triangular sides of the package;

FIG. 3 is perspective view of hair coloring mixing container of the kitof FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a right side elevational view of the hair coloring mixingcontainer of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the hair coloring container of FIG. 3;

FIG. 6 is an exploded perspective view of the mixing container of FIG.3;

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 7-7 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 8A is a cross-sectional view taken along section line 8A-8A of FIG.2;

FIG. 8B is a perspective view of the container top section of FIG. 9Aand mixing spatula and hair coloring gel during insertion of the gelinto the top section;

FIG. 8C is a perspective view of the container bottom section of FIG. 9Awith peroxide poured into the bottom compartment;

FIG. 8D is a perspective view of the container top section of FIG. 8Aand a removable top section resilient seal prior to insertion into theinterior of the container;

FIG. 8E is a perspective view of the container bottom section of FIG. 9Aand a removable bottom compartment resilient seal prior to insertioninto the interior of the container bottom compartment;

FIG. 8F is a perspective view of the container top section being mountedto the bottom section (conversely by reverse rotation with respect toeach other, being separated from the bottom section);

FIG. 8G is a perspective view of the assembled hair coloring containerof FIG. 9E;

FIG. 8H is cross-sectional view taken along section 8H-8H of FIG. 9G;

FIG. 8I is perspective view of the assembled hair coloring containerplaced in the open kit packaging;

FIG. 8J is a perspective view of the assemble hair coloring container ofFIG. 9G but with the top compartment's top side flexible seal beingremoved;

FIG. 8K is a perspective view of the hair coloring container of FIG. 8Hbut with the top compartment's top side seal removed and the kit'sspatula penetrating the exposed channel in the top side of the topcompartment;

FIG. 8L is a perspective of the hair coloring container of FIG. 9K butwith the kit's applicator brush penetrating the exposed channel to pickup mixed hair colorant with peroxide;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the kit package of FIG. 2 with itsextended lip sealed around the upper end of the package in theorientation of FIG. 9, and showing the ornamental external configurationof the kit package;

FIG. 10 is front elevational view of the kit package of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a rear elevational view of the kit package of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 is left side elevational view of the kit package of FIG. 9;

FIG. 13 is a right side elevational view of the kit package of FIG. 9;

FIG. 14 is a top plan view of the kit package of FIG. 9; and

FIG. 15 is a bottom plan view of the kit package of FIG. 9.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description provides examples, and is not limiting of thescope, applicability, or configuration set forth in the claims. Changesmay be made in the function and arrangement of elements discussedwithout departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Variousembodiments may omit, substitute, or add various procedures orcomponents as appropriate. For instance, the methods described may beperformed in an order different from that described, and various stepsmay be added, omitted, or combined. Also, features described withrespect to certain embodiments may be combined in other embodiments.

With reference now to FIG. 1, one embodiment of a hair retouching kitpackage, generally 100A, has two opposed, parallel, planar triangularsides 102, 104 spaced apart from each other by two mostly opposed andmostly planar rectangular sides 106, 108. Each rectangular side, e.g.,106 extends from the widened ends 110, 112, of the opposed triangularsides 102, 104, respectively, to the narrower pointed ends 114, 116, ofthe opposed triangular sides 102, 104, respectively. One rectangularside 106, however, also has an extended folding end 118 that can foldaround the opposed rectangular side end 120 spanning between the opposednarrower pointed ends 114, 116 of the opposed triangular sides 102, 104.A circular mounting pole passage 122 extends through the opposedrectangular sides 102, 104 and through the extended folding end 118spaced from, but relatively close to, the folding end 124 of theextended folding end 118.

With reference now to FIG. 2, the kit package 100B can be opened byunfolding the extended folded end 118 and lifting that end 118 to causethe extended rectangular side 106 to rotate away from the pointed ends114, 116 of the opposed triangular sides 102, 104 about the edgejunction 202 of the widened package end 204 opposite the pointed ends114, 116. A removable kit component mounting platform insert 206 extendsfrom the widened end 204, spaced from the shorter rectangular side 108opposite the extended rectangular side 106, toward the opposed pointedends 114, 116 of the opposed triangular sides 102, 104 to terminate in asemi-circular cutout end 208 with opposed arms 210, 212 (212 not shown)abutting the shorter rectangular side 108 spaced from the opposedpointed ends 114, 116 of the opposed triangular sides 102, 104.

With reference now to FIG. 2, in another particular embodiment of thekit package 100BB: the triangle sides, e.g., 104, each have outerperipheral triangle dimensions of 3×8.25×8.75 inches. The widened end204 is a 3×3 inch square. The rectangular lower side 108 has outerperipheral dimensions of 3×8.25 inches. These dimensions can be variedby plus or minus 60%. The package 100B and its removable mountingplatform insert 206 can each be made from a single folded piece ofpaper, cardboard, plastic sheet, or other suitable material.

Multiple kit packages, e.g., 100B, are thus readily stackable andpackaged, such as by inverting one package with respect to another androtating it 180 degrees in a vertical plane and stacking the invertedpackage on top of a base non-inverted package to yield a rectangularbox-like structure provided by the stacked two packages. This samestacking technique can be repeated as many times as desired, includingif desired by placing stacked packages side-by-side, to yield andoverall rectangular structure of packages, e.g., 100B, without anywasted or unused space in the stacked package structure.

The kit package 100B contains an applicator brush 214 abutting theinterior side 216 of one triangular side wall 104, a mixing spatula 218abutting the opposing interior side (not shown) of the oppositetriangular side wall 102, a mixing container top compartment 220 mountedinverted in this location, and the bottom compartment 222 mountedupright intermediate the applicator brush 214 and mixing spatula 218.The kit package may include kit use instructions (not shown), and theymay be folded and contained under the component mounting platform insert206 or printed on the interior side 224 of the extended folded end 118.

With reference now to FIG. 3, the assembled mixing container 302 has thegenerally tubular top compartment 220 removably threaded to therelatively larger, generally tubular bottom compartment 222. The outercircumferential periphery 304 of the top compartment 220 has an fingerplacement indent 306 penetrating radially inwardly through thecircumferential periphery 304. The planar top side 308 of the topcompartment 220 consists a removable, generally circular, removableplanar seal 308 spanning across a tubular channel (not shown in FIG. 3)in top compartment 220 underlying the circular planar seal 308. Theplanar seal 308 has a grippable lip 310 extending radially outwardlyfrom the central circular body 312 of the circular planar seal 308.

With reference now to FIG. 4, the bottom compartment 222 has a planarbottom end 402 extending at an acute angle from the longer laterallyextending side 404 of the bottom compartment 222 to the other, shorterlaterally extending side 406 of the bottom compartment 222. In thedepicted embodiment, that angle Θ is 73 degrees, bit this angle can bevaried, such as up to plus 5 more degrees or less 25 degrees as but oneexample, to accommodate differently sized components or even thoseidentified in detail in this specification. 73 degrees allows, as shownin FIG. 2, a larger volume bottom compartment 222 to be mounted in thekit package 100B with the planar bottom end (not shown in FIG. 2)parallel to, and matingly abutting, the adjacent portion (not shown inFIG. 2) of the planar interior side 223 of the shorter rectangular side108 of the kit package 100B.

With reference now to FIG. 5, this top plan view shows how the assembledmixing container 302 also inherently tilts with respect a planarhorizontal surface (not shown in FIG. 7), such as a table, on which theassembled mixing container rests. In this position, a person can graspthe top compartment 220 with one hand (not shown) and the bottomcompartment 222 with another hand (not shown), while the thumb of theone hand penetrates the finger placement indent 306 in order to rotatethe top compartment with respect to the bottom compartment.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the components of the mixing container 302include not only the top compartment 220, its removable top planar seal308, and the bottom compartment 222, but also a resilient, removable,and replaceable top compartment interior seal 602, and an identicallystructured but inverted (as compared to the top compartment interiorseal 602) bottom compartment interior seal 612. The top compartmentinterior seal 602 is slidably mounted within the top compartment 220,and the bottom compartment interior seal 612 is slidably mounted withinthe bottom compartment 222. The components of the mixing container 302may be made from materials as follows:

-   -   the top section 220 and bottom section 222 may be made of any        suitable strong plastic (such as nylon, acrylic, PVC,        polyethylene, polypropylene, polycarbonate, bakelite, melamine,        etc.), glass, composite, or metal;    -   the interior seals 602 and 612 may be made of resilient material        such as plastic for example; exemplary plastics can include        polyethylene, polypropylene, polyurethane, etc; and    -   the top seal 308 may be made of resilient material such as        plastic (such as identified above), Teflon sheet, foil-lined        paper, PET, aluminum sheet; and it 308 may be adhered in        position on the top edge of the top section 220 by any suitable        adhesive.

Referring now to FIG. 7, the mixing container 302 as delivered to auser, such as professional hair colorist for example, may be assembledas shown in FIG. 4 rather that in the separated format of FIG. 2. Ineither event, as provided for use by a professional colorist to providea coloring kit to a client, the top interior seal 602 has (i) a tubularside sealing wall 604 extending from a planar sealing end 606 and (ii)opposed grippable tabs 608, 610 (a) extending downwardly from the planarsealing end 606 in the orientation of the seal 602 shown in FIG. 2 and(b) surrounded by the tubular side sealing wall 604. The opposed tabs608, 610 are spaced from each other about the axis of the topcompartment 220.

In addition, the bottom compartment seal 612 is spun about its axis,such as by 20 to 90 degrees, to the orientation of the top compartmentinner seal 602. The spacing apart of the opposed tabs, e.g., 608, 610,allows the opposed interior seals 602, 612 to come closer togetherwithin the mixing container 302 if desired without the opposed tabs fromthe opposed seals 602, 612 bumping into each other in blocking fashion.

Each compartment has internal sidewall linear markings, e.g., 614, 616,618. These markings provide fill level indicia to the user when the userplaces fluid or gel within each of the respective top and bottomcompartments 220, 220 as explained further infra. The linear markings614, 616, 618 of the bottom compartment 222 are parallel to thegenerally planar bottom surface 619 in the bottom end 402 of the bottomcompartment 222. This allows the markings, e.g., 614, 616, 618, to behorizontal as the bottom compartment is filled with fluid as explainedinfra.

In contrast, the linear level markings, e.g., 621, of the uppercompartment are parallel to planar upper seal 308 in the top compartment220. This allows these markings, e.g., 621, to be horizontal as the topcompartment 220 is inverted and filled with material as also explainedfurther infra.

With reference back to FIG. 2, when the kit package 100B of FIG. 2 is tobe used by or for professional colorist for a client, the colorist can:

-   -   prepare custom coloring formation for a client, commonly in        connection with a hair coloring treatment provided by the        colorist for the client; the formulation is made by mixing one        or more differing colors and/or one or more differing enhancers        and results in a relatively thick gel;    -   open the kit package 100B as shown in FIG. 2 and either remove        the inverted top compartment 220, bottom compartment 222, and        mixing spatula 214 from the kit package 100B, or just remove the        spatula from the kit package 100B and leave the top compartment        220 and bottom compartment 222 in position in the kit package        100B and in the following fill steps, fill the top 220 and        bottom 222 compartments in that position (see also FIG. 8A);    -   with reference to FIG. 8B, grasp the tabs of the top compartment        interior seal 602 and remove the seal 602 from the top        compartment 220, and use a spatula 802 to place the gel colorant        802 into the interior of the top compartment 220; in doing so,        the colorist can use the top compartment linear markings, e.g.,        621, to insert the proper quantity of coloring formulation to        place within the top compartment 220 (0.5 ounce typically will        be enough to treat at least the client's part line and front        hairline regrowth after about two weeks; 1.5 ounce will        typically be sufficient to treat all hair regrowth on the        client);    -   with reference to FIG. 8C, grasp the tabs of the bottom        compartment interior seal 612 and remove the seal 612 from the        bottom compartment 222, and pour peroxide 804 (typically between        0.5 to 1 ounce), which the colorist may have previously        customized for the client as well, into the interior of the        bottom compartment 222; in doing so, the colorist can use the        bottom compartment linear markings, e.g., 618, to determine the        proper quantity of peroxide to place within the top compartment        220;    -   with reference to FIG. 8D, grasp the tabs of the top        compartment's interior seal 602 to slide the interior seal 602        to abut the gel colorant 802 within the interior of the top        compartment 220;    -   with reference to FIG. 8E, grasp the tabs of the bottom        compartment's interior seal to slide the interior seal 612 to        abut the upper surface of the peroxide 804 within the interior        of the bottom compartment 222;    -   with reference to FIG. 8G then invert the top compartment 220        and, grasping the top compartment 220 with one hand and the        bottom compartment 220 with the other, push against the finger        indent 306 to thread top compartment threads 806 into mating        bottom compartment threads 808 and lock the top compartment 220        to the bottom compartment 222 by friction fit between the        opposed threads 806, 808, yielding the sealed container 810 as        shown in FIGS. 8G and 8H;    -   as shown in FIG. 8I, remove the removable component mounting        platform insert 206 (as shown in FIG. 8A), place the applicator        brush 214 and mixing spatula 218 back in the kit package 100B,        place the mixing container 810 in the package with the longest        peripheral side 811 of the container 810 abutting the widened        end 204, close and re-seal the kit package 100B (as shown in        FIG. 9), and give the package and the sealed container 810 to        the client or to someone for the client; note that in this        orientation of the container 810 in the closed package 100B, the        container 810 is generally secured in position by the opposed        applicator brush 214 and spatula 218 abutting opposed sides 813,        815 of the container 810, the widened end 204 of the package,        and the matingly slanted underside 817 abutting the slanted end        819 of the container 810; and, if desired:    -   repeat the above process to the extent desired to provide the        client with one or more addition additional sealed colorant and        peroxide containers, re-sealed kit packages, or other kit        components as desired. Since each such container will typically        be for a single hair coloring retouching service, providing one        or more additional such containers can allow the client to have        one or more additional retouching service sessions.

Differing entities may perform differing steps, or portions of stepsabove. In some embodiments, for example, the main objective can be tohave the steps performed so that a custom hair coloring formulationcontainer is provided to the professional colorist's client for lateruse by or for the client. Thus, various parts of the method, andcomponents, also may not be utilized if desired.

Further, the kit may include yet other or multiple components. Forexample, the colorist may provide the client with multiple mixingcontainers so that the client may utilize one container for oneretouching session and another container for a second retouchingsession.

The client or other user may later implement the following method, suchas, for example, when hair regrowth occurs on the client:

-   -   with reference to FIG. 8I, open the kit package 100B and remove        the mixing container 810, applicator brush 214, mixing spatula        218, and instructions if in the kit package 100B;    -   read the instructions, which as noted supra can be on the        underside 224 of the package;    -   with reference to FIG. 8F, unscrew the mixing container's top        compartment 220 from the bottom compartment 222 and remove the        interior seals 602 and 612 from the top 220 and bottom 222        compartments, respectively (making sure to maintain the bottom        compartment in an upright position);    -   with reference to FIG. 8J, remove the top side seal 308 from the        mixing container 302;    -   with reference to FIG. 8K, use the mixing spatula 218 to mix the        hair colorant with the peroxide in the container;    -   with reference to FIG. 8L, use the applicator brush 214 to dip        into the mixed colorant-and-peroxide formulation to apply the        mixture to regrowth hair; and    -   at the appropriate time rinse the mixture from the hair.

Again, differing entities may perform differing steps, or portions ofsteps, above. In some embodiments, for example, the main objective canbe to have the steps performed so that at least custom hair coloringformulation is provided to the professional colorist's client for lateruse by or for the client. Various parts of the method, and components,may not be utilized if desired.

In one embodiment, the sealing container 302 may weigh from 0.1 to 0.5lb. depending on its compositing and size. The entire package kit 100Bsuch as shown in FIG. 2 can weigh from 0.3 to 1 lbs. These container andkit can thus be very lightweight.

Further, all components of the particular kit 100B shown in FIG. 2 canbe recyclable, and the kit 100B is easy to package, store, and ship. Ifdesired, the client can return the mixing container to the professionalcolorist for refilling of the mixing container or reuse of the mixingcontainer by or for the professional colorist and/or the client oranother person or entity.

Referring now to FIGS. 9 through 16, this embodiment of the kit package100B can be stood upright with its widened end 204 resting on a flatsurface (not shown). Alternatively, the package kit may be mounted to amounting rod or other similar structure (not shown) penetrating thecircular mounting rod passage 902 penetrating the narrower upper section904 of the package 100B. Mounting rod passage 902 can also be used tohelp carry the package 100B by inserting a finger through the passage902.

The colorant mixing container and method may be different than asdescribed above. For example, a wide variety of storage, injection, andmixing systems can be used to provide two compartments for the colorantand peroxide, respectively, and then mixing of the two. Exemplary suchsystems can include:

-   -   use of two syringe-like structures that can both suck in        colorant and peroxide respectively and eject them into a mixing        container of any type;    -   two-chamber syringe-like injectors, with mixing commenced at        least by ejection of the colorant and peroxide through a single        exit port; the chambers may be parallel to each other with each        penetrated by a plunger, or the chambers may be laterally        aligned and separated by a breakable seal, with one end of the        two chamber structure penetrated by a plunger and the other end        having and ejection port;    -   two-camber plastic bags with a common exit port opposite a        sealable opening end (such as by ziplock), with the colorant and        peroxide stored separately, such as in separate ziplock bags,        until injected into the two chambers, respectively; a plurality        of such bags can be pre-formed in strip of plastic or other        suitable material and the rolled up to be delivered to a user,        so the user can tear off one two chamber bag as needed;    -   a two chamber ampule (with one chamber abutting the other        laterally along the lateral length of the ampule), with each        chamber having an injection port for receipt of colorant and        peroxide, respectively, with the colorant and peroxide        injectable through the ports in a variety of ways, one of which        can be by separate ampules containing the colorant and peroxide        respectively;    -   simply having two separate containers (of any suitable type,        such as without limitation, toothpaste tube-like tubes with an        ejection end opposite an openable and re-sealable end,        re-sealable boxes, bottles, plastic containers, etc.) to store        the colorant and peroxide separately prior to use by mixing them        in any suitable other container or mixing bowl; and/or    -   a sealable box or oblong container, made of any suitable        material, with a removable separator forming two laterally        separated chambers in the container, one for colorant and one        for peroxide.

With regard to application of colorant from the kit, the applicationtool could include: a sponge or other material for applying the colorantto hair; a plastic, rubber, metal, or silicon finger-tip cap with aresilient applicator material or brush on the external side of the cap,such as at the tip, side, or both; a blotter, or a bottle or containercap with an external applicator such as, for example, a brush, sponge,or blotter. In this regard, the kit can also include one or a pair ofplastic or rubber gloves to prevent contact of the user's hand with thecolorant and peroxide formulation.

With regard to the removable seals used in containers such as specifiedsupra, the seals can have other features, such as a pin hole for passageof air through the seal. When placed in position adjacent colorant orperoxide in the container, a sealing adhesive or tape can be used toseal the hole, or in the case of a seal adjacent colorant, the colorantcan penetrate the hole and seal it.

The seals may be secured in position in a container in differing ways,such as by mating channels in the interior wall of the container or bythreads in the periphery of the seal for threading of the seal intomating threads in the container interior wall. Alternatively or inaddition, the sealing structure can be provided by a plug structure withan O-ring surrounding the periphery of the plug. Further, a given seal(external or internal) may be puncturable so that, rather than removinga seal to accomplish mixing, the seal is left in place and punctured bya tool to allow colorant to then be mixed with peroxide in thecontainer.

With regard to the top side seal or other seal covering a passage into acontainer structure, the sealing function can be accomplished in otherways. Other such structures can include plugs, caps securable to matingstructure on the container, such as by mating threads, resilient lipstructure, etc.

With regard to mixing of colorant with peroxide, yet other mixingtechniques can be used, including breaking or removal of a seal or otherchamber-separating structure and simply shaking the container or using arotatable mixing device penetrating a passage in the container. Mixingtools also can include a non-stick or hydrophobic surface, so thatcolorant or a colorant component will be less likely to stick to thatsurface.

With regard to indicia for identifying the quantity of material placedinto a chamber, container, etc., this indicia can be provided in thestructures identified herein in any other suitable ways. The container,bag, chamber structure, etc., can be transparent or sufficientlytranslucent and have the indicia marked on the outside of structure.

The various alternative structures and methods described above may bemixed and matched as desired. Features may also be deleted as desired.Generally speaking, however, one objective of the method is to preventcolorant from oxidizing excessively prior to its use to color hair orotherwise be utilized to accomplish coloration.

Additional Considerations:

Articles such as “the,” “a,” and “an” can connote the singular orplural. Also, the word “or” when used without a preceding “either” (orother similar language indicating that “or” is unequivocally meant to beexclusive—e.g., only one of x or y, etc.) shall be interpreted to beinclusive (e.g., “x or y” means one or both x or y).

The term “and/or” shall also be interpreted to be inclusive (e.g., “xand/or y” means one or both x or y). In situations where “and/or” or“or” are used as a conjunction for a group of three or more items, thegroup should be interpreted to include one item alone, all the itemstogether, or any combination or number of the items. Moreover, termsused in the specification and claims such as have, having, include, andincluding should be construed to be synonymous with the terms compriseand comprising.

Unless otherwise indicated, all numbers or expressions, such as thoseexpressing dimensions, physical characteristics, and the like, used inthe specification (other than the claims) are understood to be modifiedin all instances by the term “approximately.” At the very least, and notas an attempt to limit the application of the doctrine of equivalents tothe claims, each numerical parameter recited in the specification orclaims which is modified by the term “approximately” should at least beconstrued in light of the number of recited significant digits and byapplying ordinary rounding techniques.

All disclosed ranges are to be understood to encompass and providesupport for claims that recite any and all subranges or any and allindividual values subsumed by each range. For example, a stated range of1 to 10 should be considered to include and provide support for claimsthat recite any and all subranges or individual values that are betweenand/or inclusive of the minimum value of 1 and the maximum value of 10;that is, all subranges beginning with a minimum value of 1 or more andending with a maximum value of 10 or less (e.g., 5.5 to 10, 2.34 to3.56, and so forth) or any values from 1 to 10 (e.g., 3, 5.8, 9.9994,and so forth).

All disclosed numerical values are to be understood as being variablefrom 0-100B % in either direction and thus provide support for claimsthat recite such values or any and all ranges or subranges that can beformed by such values. For example, a stated numerical value of 8 shouldbe understood to vary from 0 to 16 (100B % in either direction) andprovide support for claims that recite the range itself (e.g., 0 to 16),any subrange within the range (e.g., 2 to 12.5) or any individual valuewithin that range (e.g., 15.2).

The terms recited in the claims should be given their ordinary andcustomary meaning as determined by reference to relevant entries inwidely used general dictionaries and/or relevant technical dictionaries,commonly understood meanings by those in the art, etc., with theunderstanding that the broadest meaning imparted by any one orcombination of these sources should be given to the claim terms (e.g.,two or more relevant dictionary entries should be combined to providethe broadest meaning of the combination of entries, etc.) subject onlyto the following exceptions: (a) if a term is used in a manner that ismore expansive than its ordinary and customary meaning, the term shouldbe given its ordinary and customary meaning plus the additionalexpansive meaning, or (b) if a term has been explicitly defined to havea different meaning by reciting the term followed by the phrase “as usedin this document shall mean” or similar language (e.g., “this termmeans,” “this term is defined as,” “for the purposes of this disclosurethis term shall mean,” etc.). References to specific examples, use of“i.e.,” use of the word “invention,” etc., are not meant to invokeexception (b) or otherwise restrict the scope of the recited claimterms. Other than situations where exception (b) applies, nothingcontained in this document should be considered a disclaimer ordisavowal of claim scope.

The subject matter recited in the claims is not coextensive with andshould not be interpreted to be coextensive with any embodiment,feature, or combination of features described or illustrated in thisdocument. This is true even if only a single embodiment of the featureor combination of features is illustrated and described in thisdocument.

What is claimed is:
 1. A hair coloring kit comprising in combination: ahair coloring kit package including: a hair colorant container sectionmountable to a peroxide container section, the hair colorant containersection including a first interior sidewall intermediate a top end andopposed bottom end in the hair colorant container section; a firstremovable and reusable colorant seal removably and reusably mountable tothe first interior sidewall within the hair colorant container sectionspaced from a second removable colorant seal mounted to the haircolorant container section and providing a removable external sealingsurface of the hair colorant container section; and a mixing tool. 2.The custom hair coloring kit of claim 1 wherein the hair colorantcontainer section and peroxide container section cooperatively provide aunitary hair colorant mixing container.
 3. The custom hair coloring kitof claim 1 further comprising a removable and reusable peroxide sealremovably and reusably mountable within the peroxide container section.4. The custom hair coloring kit of claim 2 further comprising aremovable and reusable peroxide seal removably and reusably mountedwithin the peroxide container section.
 5. The custom hair coloring kitof claim 1 wherein the hair colorant container section is threadablymountable to the peroxide container section.
 6. The custom hair coloringkit of claim 2 wherein the hair colorant container section is threadablymountable to the peroxide container section.
 7. The custom hair coloringkit of claim 3 wherein the hair colorant container section is threadablymountable to the peroxide container section.
 8. The custom hair coloringkit of claim 1 wherein the custom hair coloring kit package has atriangular cross-section.
 9. The custom hair coloring kit of claim 7wherein the custom hair coloring kit package has a triangularcross-section.
 10. The custom hair coloring kit of claim 9 wherein (i)the triangular cross-section has a widened section terminating inwidened opposite a narrower section terminating in a narrowed end and(ii) the custom hair coloring kit package has a kit mounting bar passagepenetrating transversely the narrower section of the customer coloringkit package.
 11. The hair coloring kit of claim 4 wherein the haircolorant container section is threadably mountable to the peroxidecontainer section.
 12. The hair coloring kit of claim 8 wherein the haircolorant container section is threadably mountable to the peroxidecontainer section.
 13. The hair coloring kit of claim 1 wherein the haircoloring kit package comprises: two opposed, parallel, planar triangularsides, each triangular side having a widened end and a narrow, pointedend opposite the widened end; two opposed planar rectangular sides, eachrectangular side extending from the widened end of the opposedtriangular sides to the pointed end of the triangular sides; thetriangular sides and rectangular sides forming a triangular interior; akit component mounting platform mounted within the interior, themounting platform extending from the widened end to the narrow end, themounting platform having a first opening surrounding the hair colorantcontainer section and a second opening surrounding the peroxidecontainer section, the first opening or second opening being closer tothe widened end than the narrowed end.
 14. The hair coloring kit ofclaim 13, further comprising an applicator brush adjacent an interiorside of one of the triangular sides and a mixing spatula adjacent aninterior of the opposing triangular side.
 15. The hair coloring kit ofclaim 13, wherein the hair colorant container section is threadablymountable to the peroxide container section.
 16. The hair coloring kitof claim 14, wherein the hair colorant container section is threadablymountable to the peroxide container section.
 17. The hair coloring kitof claim 13, further including a kit mounting bar passage transverselypenetrating the narrower section of the customer hair coloring kitpackage.
 18. The hair coloring kit of claim 16, further including a kitmounting bar passage transversely penetrating the narrower section ofthe customer hair coloring kit package.
 19. The hair coloring kit ofclaim 13 wherein the peroxide container section has a tubular outerperiphery with a central axis and a bottom end at an acute angle tocentral axis.
 20. The hair coloring kit of claim 18 wherein the peroxidecontainer section has a tubular outer periphery with a central axis anda bottom end at an acute angle to central axis.